The southern front, lacking forests and urban fortifications, remains one of the most challenging areas for Ukraine to defend. Therefore, Kyiv forces don't have options to hide somewhere to repel the rapidly advancing Russian attacks to the center of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, says military observer Denys Popovych, according to NV.
The region's center, the city of Zaporizhzhia, would give Russia a stronghold for an offensive toward Kryvyi Rih and Dnipro. Its capture would also be accompanied by war crimes and crisis, including population displacement and the suppression of cultural identity, as it has been in other occupied territories.
He explains that Russia is attempting to recreate the same scenario in the Huliaipole area of Zaporizhzhia, as it was in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast.
Ukrainian paratroopers execute daring parachute-free airdrop under fire near Pokrovsk, breaking through Russian lines
Dangerous “pockets” are forming north of the city
Russian invaders are trying to encircle this city, which is important from a logistical point of view, to surround it from the north.
“If we look at the map, we can see that such pockets are forming there, and this threatens that the city could be encircled from the north and the scenario of the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad agglomeration could be repeated,” Popovych says.
At the same time, he added that if the Defense Forces fail to stop Russia in this direction, the occupiers may first threaten Huliaipole, and then move closer to Zaporizhzhia, he adds.
According to the expert, the difficulties for Ukrainian defenders lie, in particular, in the fact that in the south of Ukraine, there are neither forests nor urban areas convenient for building defensive lines.
Kyiv forces withdraw to save personnel's lives
On 11 November, Vladyslav Voloshyn, Spokesperson for the Defense Forces of the South, stated that the situation in Zaporizhzhia has rapidly deteriorated, per RBC. The Ukrainian Armed Forces withdrew from positions near five settlements.
“In Zaporizhzhia, particularly in the Oleksandrivka and Huliaipole directions, intense fighting has been going on for several days. The Russians are using all types of available weapons to push the Armed Forces of Ukraine out of their positions,” said Voloshyn.
According to him, in the past few days, up to a hundred combat clashes have been recorded on the Zaporizhzhia front.
As a result, Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw from positions near the settlements of Novouspenivske, Nove, Okhotnyche, Uspenivka, and Novomykolaivka in order to preserve the lives of personnel. There, the Russian assault fired more than 400 artillery shells daily, using about 2,000 munitions.
“Unfortunately, the numerical advantage of the Russians is making itself felt ... which could endanger Huliaipole,” the DeepState emphasized.
According to the experts, Huliaipole had long remained impregnable to the Russians, who attempted to attack it from various directions, including the Marfopillia area. Now, there is a risk of opening a new route that could complicate the defense of this strategic point.
